The Oxford Tavern in Sydney will be undergoing a makeover to turn the former gentleman’s club into a classier venue. As part of this process, the venue will be getting rid of its poker machines and exotic dancers so patrons can focus more on socialising and eating good food. The Oxford Tavern has been taken over by Drink & Dine, a group that is renowned for rebranding older venues.
The company wants the new vision for the venue to be a hybrid between a traditional Australian pub and an American ‘beer barn’. The main goal is to take the focus off a primarily male clientele, so that the venue will cater to a more diverse market. Several of tavern’s key features will be removed, including the exotic dancers’ stage and the poker machine section.
The area for pokies will be turned into a blooming beer garden, and the entertainment will feature a piano for talented guest performers. Topless bars are quite embedded in Australian culture, as are poker machines and other forms of casual gambling. However, Drink & Dine wants to move away from this vision and towards a more modern future.
While Drink & Dine has the best intentions for the venue, locals are going to miss the old Oxford Tavern. Men from across Sydney visited the pub, stating that it was a community gathering place where all of their friends congregated. Even women enjoyed visiting The Oxford Tavern, because it had become a community staple. “It's like the loss of my second home.
There are enough swanky pubs in Sydney,” exotic dancer Tamara said in an interview with the Daily Telegraphi “We don't need anymore." Will the lack of pokies and exotic dancers push patrons away? Or, will locals welcome the new venue into their community? Only time will tell, when the venue reopens in a couple of weeks.
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